Pros

Cons

If cost is no concern, the WH1000XM2s are the clear winner, with superior noise-canceling, audio quality, and conveniences, but the CH-700Ns won't steer you wrong for the money you'll save.

What's the difference?

You don't need to spend hundreds of dollars on headphones, but you probably won't regret it if you do.

It's hard to compare headphones at such different price points, but it gets a little easier when you remember that they're intended for different users. Yes, of course the WH1000XM2s are better headphones than the WH-CH700Ns for more than twice the price, but not everybody needs to spend $300 on headphones. For the vast majority of people, the CH700Ns are more than good enough, and they're a significantly better value.

If, on the other hand, you're a frequent traveler who doesn't want to sacrifice audio quality, the 1000XM2s are worth the extra money. Not only do they sound better, but the active noise cancelation is significantly more powerful than the CH700N's "digital" passive equivalent. It also features Sony's Ambient Sound mode, which uses the built-in microphones to filter select audio from your environment back into the headphones so that you can still hear and hold conversations.

Understanding the WH1000XM2's extra features

Sony has built in touch sensitivity on the right cup of the WH1000XM2 that allows you to quickly jump in and out of Ambient Sound mode by placing your hand over the cup, or tap and swipe in various directions to play, pause, or skip between tracks without having to pull out your phone. Once you get used to using these gestures, it quickly becomes hard to imagine going back to living without them.

You can also enable Google Assistant on the WH1000XM2s by using Sony's Headphones Connect app to assign it to the Ambient Sound button on the left cup. Google Assistant works just the same as it would on a phone, answering queries and changing songs through voice commands.

Still, even without the gesture controls and active noise cancelation, the CH700Ns are a great deal for casual music listeners. Sony advertises a whopping 35 hours of playback on the rechargeable battery, and you can easily pair the headphones to your NFC-capable phone by just tapping it against the left ear cup — of course, simply putting the headphones into Bluetooth pairing mode works just as well.